A contingent of Israeli military forces conducted a raid at Gaza City's Al-Shifa hospital amidst intense gunfire, as reported by a high-ranking medical official on Wednesday.
Monir al-Bursh, the director-general of the pharmaceutical department at the Gaza Health Ministry, revealed in a press statement to Xinhua news agency that the Israeli army had officially notified the hospital of the raid through a phone call. During the call, residents were instructed to avoid approaching windows, balconies, or doors.
In response, the Israeli army claimed that the operation was a precise action against Hamas within a specific area of Al-Shifa hospital. This decision was purportedly based on intelligence information and an operational necessity, according to Xinhua news agency.
Ashraf al-Qedra, the Health Ministry's spokesman, vehemently rejected the Israeli army's actions, stating that there was no resistance within the hospital, rendering the shooting unjustified. He characterized Israel's actions as a form of terrorism within the complex.
Currently, approximately 1,500 staff members and 7,000 displaced individuals find themselves confined within the hospital, dependent on its capacity, as per al-Qedra's statements.
In recent days, Israeli tanks encircled several hospitals in Gaza City, asserting the presence of tunnels that allegedly serve as a base for Hamas to harbor its leadership and conduct military operations against the Israeli army. Both Hamas and the Health Ministry in Gaza vehemently denied these accusations, dismissing them as an effort to mislead and incite tensions, potentially leading to the destruction of hospitals and harm to patients.
(With Agency Inputs)
ALSO READ | Israel, Hamas reach initial agreement on humanitarian truce: Report
ALSO READ | ‘Netanyahu must answers’: Forum March for Hostages and Missing Families
